Today, I post a candidate interview with Pat Rushia, candidate for the school board. I sent candidate questionnaires to all those running in this year’s election and will post their responses as received. Below are my questions and Ms. Rushia’s responses.
Could you please tell us about yourself and why you are running for the school board?
My name is Pat Rushia. I am retired from NYS Dept. of Correctional Services where I worked as an Academic Teacher IV at Washington Correctional Facility for 15 years and then as the Education Supervisor at Great Meadow Correctional Facility for 5 years. I am running for the school board to ensure that questions are asked and discussion occurs prior to final action on agenda items. Quick action with little or no discussion fails to consider the impact on other areas and results in confusion and/or failure.
A perfect example of this is the recent confusion over block scheduling. Ten additional positions were approved by the school board in April. These positions represent a $465,094 increase in the budget for the sole purpose of implementing block scheduling. I am not sure if the board was aware of this at the time as no discussion took place. Money is in the budget for block scheduling even though teachers do not endorse it.
Most people look back fondly on some aspects of their high-school education. Could you tell us what your favorite book from high school was? Why was it your favorite book and should it be required reading today?
Editor’s Note: No Answer Provided
According to the Post Star, the Whitehall School District is ranked 31st out of 31 schools in academic performance in the local BOCES. Is the current school board and administration in need of completely new management? Should the taxpayers, families and students of the district be happy with this performance?
No one should be pleased with this performance, especially the taxpayers. A lot of money is flying out the door and my concern is that we are not getting good value for our investment. Enrollment is down. The student-teacher ratio at the elementary school is 10.5 to 1 while at the high school, the ratio is 9.9 to 1. The average ratio for the county is 11 to 1 and the state is 13 to 1. Class size obviously is not a reason for poor performance.
There are 15 Special Education teachers, 8 in the high school and 7 in the elementary school. There are also 2 Guidance Counselors(WHS), 2 Psychologists(WES/WHS), Speech Therapist(WES), Title I Math(WES), Title I Reading(WES), Preschool(WES), Remedial Reading(WES), Reading/Writing(WHS), and 4 Behavioral Specialists(WES/WHS) Staffing is appropriate for enrollment and support staff is in place. The school board and administration need to focus on making the most efficient use of existing staff.
Many of the students educated in the Whitehall school district talk about leaving Whitehall once they graduate and going elsewhere to look for work. Does the school board have a responsibility to cut spending to make the local taxing climate more receptive to jobs and growth?
Fiscal responsibility needs to be a priority for the school board. Future spending needs to consider the tax base while also being sensitive to the financial concerns of the district. This year the district did receive an increase in state aid, which is not guaranteed for subsequent years. If savings in one area are offset by increase of staff, there is no financial gain. Any increase to staff this year becomes a fixed cost next year due to contractual and retirement agreements.
For example, the $100,000 spent on 4 “behavioral specialists” this year will be a fixed cost next year. This hiring was a decision made quickly with little or no discussion or research. The concept was first introduced as a pilot program and as such, one “behavioral specialist” should have been hired so that effectiveness of the program could be evaluated before committing more money. Also, since the position required direct contact with students, the minimum requirement should have been teacher certification and not simply a four year college degree.
The job market today is a highly competitive one. Should the school district be doing something that it is not already doing or should it be offering additional classes to see that its graduates have the skills and education necessary for success?
With a highly competitive job market, the school district should be committed to providing the skills and education necessary for success. In 2013, eight out of ten elementary students scored below level while six out of ten high school students scored below grade level. This is why is the district is ranked 31st out of 31 in performance. This is why the district needs to focus on raising the performance of students in each grade level. Every effort must be made to ensure that every student meets a certain level of competency before moving to the next skill. Without a solid foundation at one level, students will fall further behind at the next level.
What is the biggest issue that children face today and what realistically can the school board do to address it?
The biggest issue that children face today is being competitive in the job market. The school board needs to provide a learning environment for children at both the elementary and high school level that will give them the foundation and attitude necessary to be a productive citizen of the community. Emphasis should not be solely on advanced courses and college credits. Not all students will attend college, but all students must have a good work ethic, basic math, reading, and writing skills as well as life skills. We do a disservice to many students if we emphasize that additional AP courses for college credit need to be added to the curriculum. These courses have their place, but are not going to improve the overall performance ranking of the school.